Garment wear record



March 10, 1964 T. J. COLLUM 3,124,284

GARMENT WEAR RECORD Filed May 3, 1963 INVENTOR THEODORE. 3'. COLL-UM A TTaelvE United States Patent Ofifice 3,124,2s4 GARMENT WEAR RECDRD Theodore J. Collum, P.0. Box 4993, Columbus, Ohio Filed May 3, 1963, Ser. No. 277,851 4 Claims. (Cl. 223-98) This invention relates to record systems, and particularly to a system of keeping tab on garment wear which has relation to a common variety of garment hangers.

Basically the question as to whether or not a garment is ready for the cleaners amounts to whether or not the garment is soiled to an extent requiring cleaning. While this condition is one which may be evident in the case of light-colored clothes, it is not a test which is universally applicable, and the situation, therefore leads to a practice wherein the need for cleaning is assessed with reference to the number of times a garment has been worn since the last cleaning. Even this practice is subject to shortcomings, because, except in the case of large households, where regulation of such matters is effected methodically by force of necessity, keeping count is subject to vagary and is unreliable in the main. This is especially true where males must deal with the problem alone, especially if they have a large complement of garments.

It is therefore a general object of the invention to simplify the keeping of records as the garment use, a related object being to provide a tally which is closely associated with the garment concerned during non-use, and therefore readily available at the time of use. More particularly, it is an object to provide a tally which is attachable to the more common forms of garment hangers.

Yet another object is to provide a tally for mounting on a hanger, which is easily applied, yet secure in its attachment, and durable in repeated use.

In still greater particular, it is an object to provide a tally having features as aforesaid, which is capable of fabrication from a roll of paper, low in cost and light in weight in operations which include folding, cutting and slitting.

The objects also include provision of a tally device which is simple in structure and low in cost.

These and other objects, which will be apparent, are attained by the present invention, a preferred form of which is described in the following specification, as illustrated in the drawing, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a wire hanger, with the tally device in place,

FIGURE 2 is another perspective view of the subject of FIGURE 1, as viewed from the side opposite to that shown in FIGURE 1,

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view, enlarged, through the tally chart, taken on the line 33 of FIGURE 1,

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of the paper blank used in making the tally device, with a central tab shown folded upwardly at one of its corners.

FIGURE 5 is a perspective View of the tally blank after the first stage of folding, and

FIGURE 6 is a perspective view of the blank of FIG- URE 5, in the second, and final stage of folding.

Referring to the drawings by characters of reference there is shown a common, one-piece, wire, garment hanger having a lower, trousers rack, or bar 10, slanted, shoulder elements 12, leading to a pair of short, straight sections 14 at the center a twisted, upright, centrally located neck 16, and a top hook 18.

The paper blank 20 for the tally chart, or recording device attachment, shown in FIGURE 4, is planiform, with parallel, opposite sides 22, 24, which blank may be derived from an oblong rectangle, by cutting along the inwardly diverging lines 26 at each end, or cut in the form shown, with fishtail ends, in a single operation.

3,124,284 Patented Mar. 10, 1964 This cutting operation may also effect the forming of rectangular aperture 28, the three-sided cuts forming the swingable tabs 30, and a pair of central swingable tabs 32, 34*, formed by a central, longitudinal cut 36, with a pair of perpendicularly disposed cuts 38 at its ends.

The blank is foldable about its central, longitudinal line, using score line 40, aligned with slit 36 and meeting the vertices of the end recesses, such a fold being shown as partially completed in FIGURE 5. When fully folded, the aperture 23 is in register with the row of tabs 30, for cooperative action in the tallying, as will be seen. With the first fold effected, the two end corners of the double thickness are folded over along diagonal score lines 42, as shown by the arcuate arrow in FIG- URE 5, to provide the sohulder form ends 44, which are adapted to mate with shoulders 12 of the hanger, and to bring edges 26 into coincidence with edges 22, 24. A suitable adhesive, applied at 46 on the blank, holds the tally device in the final, folded form shown in FIG- URE 6. Although one of the tabs 30 is shown in FIG- URE 6 as folded inwardly of the tally, this is merely to illustrate structure and function, since the first counter will not be moved or folded until the garment is removed for the first wear.

Havin the long slit 36 at its center, the boat-form device, which corresponds in shape to a truncated, isosceles triangle, is easily slipped over the hanger, in inverted form, with the hanger hook 18 passing through the slit 36. In this movement, the two sides of the tally pass. down on opposite sides of the hanger until the slanted ends come to rest on the shoulder portions 12 of the hanger. At this stage a relatively light push laterally on either one of the tabs 32 or 34 will deform it, and cause it to pass under the said sections 14, after which it will straighten out of its own resiliency. With both of tabs 32 and 34 thus located on the same side of the hanger wire, a lock is provided, whereby return motion upward is positively prevented, and cannot be effected without deliberate return of the tab to its own side of the wire. Since, in the detaining position of the tabs, the slanted ends of the tally are prevented by hanger shoulders 12 from moving further downward, the tally piece is effectively locked in place, against accidental dislodgrnent in any direction, or removal, even under conditions of heavy use.

At the commencement of each use of the garment, one of the tabs 34? will be folded through aperture 28, and upwardly, possibly in clasping relation to the opposite layer of the tally. Although the invention is not limited to any specific form of indicating the number of uses, the feature of accomplishing this by operations on an integral part of the attachment has much to recommend it, especially in comparison to any method which would require the use of a pencil or other marker, and which would inherently be self-defeating of its purpose. It is worthy of note also that the folding of marker tabs over the two layers of the device provide an additional guarantee against upward withdrawal.

It will be seen that with a device such as illustrated and described herein, the objects of the invention are attained in ample measure.

Generally speaking, while a certain, preferred embodiment has been shown and described, various modifications will be apparent, in the light of this disclosure, and the invention should not, therefore, be deemed as limited, except insofar as shall appear from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. For attachment to a garment hanger, a tally device for recording the number of garment uses comprising an envelope generally planiform in collapsed condition, said envelope having a profile in the general form of a truncated isosceles triangle including a base, a pair of slant sides, and a fiat top section parallel to the base and joining said sides, and said envelope comprising a unitary sheet of paper in folded condition to provide two walls with outer edges coinciding and defining an opening along the line of said base and having diagonal folds at its ends providing a four-ply thickness in each of the two triangular areas and defining said slant sides, said envelope having an edge slit along and coextensive with said top section, and a slit at each end of said edge slit perpendicular thereto and defining a pair of foldable tabs, said edge slit adapted to slip over the hook of a garment hanger, said slant sides adapted to mate with the shoulder bars of the garment hanger, and either of said tabs adapted for folding to bring both tabs on one side of the central portion of the garment hanger to provide a detent against unintentional withdrawal of the envelope, said envelope having a series of foldable tabs as recording devices.

2. For attachment to a garment hanger, a tally device for recording the number of garment uses comprising an envelope generally planiform in collapsed condition, said envelope having a profile in the general form of a truncated isosceles triangle including a base, a pair of slant sides, and a fiat top section parallel to the base and joining said sides, and said envelope comprising a unitary sheet of paper in folded condition to provide two walls with outer edges coinciding and defining an opening along the line of said base'and having diagonal folds at its ends providing a four-ply thickness in each of the two triangular areas and defining said slant sides, said envelope having an edge slit along and coextensive with said top section, and a slit at each end of said edge slit perpendicular thereto and defining a pair of foldable tabs, said edge slit adapted to slip over the hook of a garment hanger, said slant sides adapted to mate with the shoulder bars of the garment hanger, and either of said tabs adapted for folding to bring both tabs on one side of the central portion of the garment hanger to provide a detent against unintentional withdrawal of the envelope, a series of foldable tabs carried by one of the walls of I. said envelope, and the other Wall of said envelope having an aperture re istering with said tabs.

3. For use in forming a tally means of fiat envelope form for attachment to a garment hanger, a blank of foldable material comprising a planiform sheet having opposite parallel edges of equal length and adapted to coincide when the blank is folded along a line parallel to and midway between said edges, the other two edges of said sheet being notched, with edges running from the ends of the parallel edges and meeting in a vertex at said line of fold, said sheet having a first slit along said line of fold and a pair of slits at the ends of said first slit perpendicular thereto and defining foldable tabs, said sheet having a series of slits defining a row of foldable tabs for recording purposes.

4. For use in forming a tally means of flat envelope form for attachment to a garment hanger, a blank of foldable material comprising a planiform sheet having opposite parallel edges of equal length and adapted to coincide when the blank is folded along a line parallel to and midway between said edges, the other two edges of said sheet being notched, with edges running from the ends of the parallel edges and meeting in a vertex at said line of fold, said sheet having a first slit along said line of fold and a pair of slits at the ends of said first slit perpendicular thereto and defining foldable tabs, said sheet having a series of slits defining a row of foldable tabs for recording purposes, said row of tabs being adjacent said first slit, on one side thereof, and said sheet having an aperture on the other side of said slit registering with said row of tabs.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,068,207 Bertram July 22, 1913 1,638,375 Stutz Aug. 9, 1927 1,741,777 Johnson Dec. 31, 1929 1,749,238 Wordingham Mar. 4, 1930 2,001,624 Moore May 14, 1935 2,241,697 Berke May 13, 1941 2,838,218 Grigsby June 10, 1958 

1. FOR ATTACHMENT TO A GARMENT HANGER, A TALLY DEVICE FOR RECORDING THE NUMBER OF GARMENT USES COMPRISING AN ENVELOPE GENERALLY PLANIFORM IN COLLAPSED CONDITION, SAID ENVELOPE HAVING A PROFILE IN THE GENERAL FORM OF A TRUNCATED ISOSCELES TRIANGLE INCLUDING A BASE, A PAIR OF SLANT SIDES, AND A FLAT TOP SECTION PARALLEL TO THE BASE AND JOINING SAID SIDES, AND SAID ENVELOPE COMPRISING A UNITARY SHEET OF PAPER IN FOLDED CONDITION TO PROVIDE TWO WALLS WITH OUTER EDGES COINCIDING AND DEFINING AN OPENING ALONG THE LINE OF SAID BASE AND HAVING DIAGONAL FOLDS AT ITS ENDS PROVIDING A FOUR-PLY THICKNESS IN EACH OF THE TWO TRIANGULAR AREAS AND DEFINING SAID SLANT SIDES, SAID ENVELOPE HAVING AN EDGE SLIT ALONG AND COEXTENSIVE WITH SAID TOP SECTION, AND A SLIT AT EACH END OF SAID EDGE SLIT PERPENDICULAR THERETO AND DEFINING A PAIR OF FOLDABLE TABS, SAID EDGE SLIT ADAPTED TO SLIP OVER THE HOOK OF A GARMENT HANGER, SAID SLANT SIDES ADAPTED TO MATE WITH THE SHOULDER BARS OF THE GARMENT HANGER, AND EITHER OF SAID TABS ADAPTED FOR FOLDING TO BRING BOTH TABS ON ONE SIDE OF THE CENTRAL PORTION OF THE GARMENT HANGER TO PROVIDE A DETENT AGAINST UNINTENTIONAL WITHDRAWAL OF THE ENVELOPE, SAID ENVELOPE HAVING A SERIES OF FOLDABLE TABS AS RECORDING DEVICES. 